Students Lose Path to Grants

By

Amelia Harris

June 12, 2012 9:24 p.m. ET

Elizabeth Deng had dreams of going to college, even without a high-school diploma or GED, because her husband did just that: He took a test proving he would benefit from higher education and received $15,000 in federal grants.

But that was in 2004. Now, after congressional budget cuts, the South Sudanese refugee in Syracuse is one of thousands of would-be college students without a high-school diploma who on July 1 can no longer...